Khalida Popal

Quick Facts

Full Name	Khalida Popal
Occupation	Association Football Player
Date Of Birth	May 21, 1987(1987-05-21)
Age	37
Birthplace	Kabul
Country	Afghanistan
Horoscope	Gemini

Khalida Popal Biography

Khalida Popal is one of the most popular and richest Association Football Player who was born on May 21, 1987 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Popal was born in 1987 in Kabul, Afghanistan, in a Popalzai family. She attended the Business Academy of Denmark, where she received a degree in international marketing management. Popal was taught how to play football by her mother, who was also a physical education teacher. Her mother focused on the power of sport for women and how it can open up new opportunities for young girls.

In 2011, Popal received numerous death threats and decided to leave Afghanistan. She left Kabul and made her way to India. She was constantly on the move in India as she had no visa. From India she made her way to Norway seeking further asylum, due to her lacking a visa for India. Popal eventually landed in Denmark, where she lived in a refugee camp for nearly a year before she was granted residency. Popal sought to play for a local team, but she suffered a serious knee injury that prevented her from playing football again.

In March 2017, to mark International Women’s Day, Theirworld, a global education charity founded by Sarah Jane Brown, recognized Popal’s work as part of their #RewritingTheCode campaign. The purpose and mission of the campaign is to protest and challenge the prejudices and ideologies that deny women and young girls equal opportunities. In 2017, in alliance with Theirworld, Popal was given the 2017 Challenge Award.

Soon after sustaining the injury to her knee, Popal became highly depressed. She turned down opportunities to start swimming and cycling. In an interview in 2017, Popal stated “Suddenly I was losing everything. I’d lost my country, my identity, I was in an asylum centre, I’d lost my family, I couldn’t play. I felt like a doll hanging in the air. I could not fly in the sky and I could not come to the ground.” Popal sought help from psychiatrists and began taking antidepressants.

In 2007, with the approval and support of the Afghan Football Association, Popal formed the Afghan women’s football league with her friends. For their safety, the team practiced inside a NATO base in Kabul and the team played their first game in Pakistan in 2008. The team’s first ever match was against the International Security Assistance Forces XI. They won 5-0. In December 2010, the team played their first international match, losing 13-0 against Nepal at the South Asian Women’s Football Championship in Bangladesh. As the team grew and eventually began to have success in football, Popal became a higher profile target for extremist and anti-women groups.

Khalida Popal Net Worth

Khalida Popal is one of the richest Association Football Player from Afghanistan. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Khalida Popal 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Khalida Popal (born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1987) is an Afghani football player and director. Popal is the founder and director of Girl Power Organization, the Program and Event Director of the Afghanistan Women’s National Football Team, Ambassador to Street Child World Cup, and the Event Manager & Mentor/ Refugee Consultant in COLUMN. She is also the former leader of the Afghanistan women’s Football Committee, former Finance Officer of the Afghanistan Football Federation, former captain of the Afghanistan Women’s National Football Team, and former football coach of the under-17 and under-15 women’s football teams in Afghanistan.

As a teenage woman playing soccer, Popal was highly vulnerable to discrimination and oppression as the war in the Middle East continued and the Taliban began to take over areas around Kabul. Kabul, a major city in Afghanistan, was marred by conflict where women had little to no human rights. During this time, the Taliban banned women from playing sports and attending sporting events. In order to avoid being seen playing football by men, Popal and her friends played after school in an isolated yard. Although forbidden, more and more girls joined Popal in playing football after school. Empowered by the growth in the number of young girls playing, Popal eventually moved the playing area into public fields. Even though the Taliban’s reign over Afghanistan ended in 2001, Popal still faced the threat and vision of her local community. Many in her community disapproved of young girls playing football and began throwing stones and declaring them “prostitutes” for playing football.

Popal also received the Peace and Sport Award in 2017 for her efforts to use sport as a way to empower and further women’s rights in Afghanistan. The Peace and Sport Award is dedicated to organizations and individuals who work towards peace, social stability, and dialogue through sport.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Khalida Popal height Not available right now. Khalida weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Khalida Popal Dating?

According to our records, Khalida Popal is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Khalida Popal’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Khalida Popal. You may help us to build the dating records for Khalida Popal!

Facts & Trivia

Khalida Ranked on the list of most popular Association Football Player. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Afghanistan. Khalida Popal celebrates birthday on May 21 of every year.